Information for Sellers
As you start to think about selling your home, there are a number of
steps you can take to enhance your property and the ultimate selling
price. Below are some guidelines to maximize your efforts.
PREPARING THE HOME
There are many things you can do to make your home more
appealing to buyers. Here's the things that are the most important:
Inspecting the Home
You should do your own initial inspection of your home to
determine any obvious problems. Put yourself in the buyer's shoes
and go through every area of your home, inside and out, and record
any problem. Don't worry about costs or whether you're even going to
do something about it, just make the list. Here are some key areas
to pay attention to:
-
▪ Heating and cooling
systems
-
▪ Exterior walls,
roofs and rain gutters
-
▪ Electrical systems,
inside and out
-
▪ Kitchens
-
▪ Bathrooms
-
▪ Floors and edge
moldings
-
▪ Doors, gates and
windows
-
▪ Interior ceilings
and walls
-
▪ Attics and basements
Home Repairs
You really don't want to tour potential buyers through a home if
there are obvious items needing repair.
Here's a list of the
top items that could jeopardize your sale:
-
▪ Bad wiring
-
▪ Damaged roofs
-
▪ Water in the
basement or crawlspace
-
▪ Cracks in the
foundation
-
▪ Damaged roofs
-
▪ Poor yard
maintenance
-
▪ Dirty paint
-
▪ Secure outlet covers
and switch plates.
-
▪ Heating or air
conditioning problems
-
▪ Loose gates, molding
or doors
-
▪ Tighten loose
cabinet handles, towel racks and doorknobs
-
▪ Fix sticking windows
and doors,
-
▪ Tighten loose stair
banisters and squeaky doors
-
▪ Fix the little
things
Timing Your Sale
There are better times to sell your home than others. Here are
some general guidelines for the best time of year to maximize the
number of buyers and your ability to sell your home:
-
▪ Interest gradually
increases from early January to the first sign of spring.
-
▪ One of the best home
selling seasons occurs between early March and Memorial Day.
-
▪ Interest is only
moderate between Memorial Day and Labor Day as families recreate
during the summer.
-
▪ The second big
selling season occurs between Labor Day and right before
Thanksgiving.
-
▪ Selling a home
between Thanksgiving and the first of the year has a lower
possibility of producing results.
Cleaning Up Your
Home
One of the easiest things you can do to improve your home is an
complete cleaning. Either hire a cleaning service or be prepared to
take on this project equivalent to an old fashioned spring cleaning.
Every crack and corner needs attention. When every portion of your
home sparkles it sends a strong yet subtle message.
Showing Your Home
There are a number things you can do to enhance the showing
experience for a potential buyer. Are a a few tips that can make
them feel more welcome and attracted to your home:
-
▪ Give your home a
welcoming aroma of fresh-baked cookies or potpourri.
-
▪ Clear out or quiet
the kids.
-
▪ Let the agents
discuss the home with the buyers. That's there job and they will
have a better sense on how to sell the home to the particular buyers
than you would.
-
▪ Keep animals out of
sight, especially barking dogs.
-
▪ Move out any excess
furniture.
-
▪ It's recommended
that you keep yourself scarce as well. Buyers will feel more
comfortable and less like intruders if your not around.
-
▪ Never apologize for
how your home looks. It will only focus the Buyer's attention on
what's not right, rather than what they like.
-
▪ Make sure your
carpets look as clean as possible.
-
▪ Put all your
valuables away under lock and key or in a safe location.
-
▪ Open curtains and
blinds to brighten home.
-
▪ Clean closets to
make them appear larger.
-
▪ Use bright paint and
light bulbs to make rooms appear larger.
-
▪ Make your home as
available as possible for showing, including when you're not there.
This just increases the chances of your home selling.
-
▪ Clear out or quiet
the kids.
Maximizing Curb
Appeal
First impressions count a lot. Here's a handy checklist that
will help you make the most appealing first impression:
-
▪ Painting-Make sure
the paint is clean and looks new.
-
▪ Windows-Clean the
windows and repair any broken panes.
-
▪ Shrubbery-Make sure
all shrubbery is trimmed, tidy and balanced.
-
▪ Front Door-New paint
on a front door and a welcome mat are inviting.
-
▪ Flowers-Plant bright
and colorful flowers to warm up the buyers.
-
▪ Equipment and
Furniture-Plant bright
and colorful flowers to warm up the buyers.
-
▪ Lawn-Do your best to
give your lawn that manicured look.
-
▪ Clean out your
garage.
-
▪ Make sure all your
outside lights and doorbell is working.
-
▪ Fences and
Gates-Inspect and repair any broken areas or paint.
-
▪ Repairs-There
shouldn't be anything that needs obvious repair.
-
▪ Replace dull house
numbers with shiny new ones, preferably brass.
-
▪ Sidewalk and
Driveways-Keep your
sidewalks tidy regardless of the time of year and patch any holes.
-
▪ Eliminate
Clutter-Remove anything that would be perceived as clutter
especially "junk".
Make It Clutter
Free
Clutter around a home sends the message that the home isn't well
cared for. Systematically remove anything that doesn't need to be
left out. Create an environment of order that will help to showcase
your home.
Seller Disclosure
There are laws in place that protect the real estate buyer. You
must be prepared to disclose known defects in your home to a
potential buyer.
Contact us for a buyer disclosure form so that you're
prepared to either repair any of these defects or disclose them to
the buyer at the appropriate time.
|
